Beautiful
by Ms. Kinnikufan
Summary: Croe feels ugly. Kevin assures him otherwise. Happy Valentine's day everyone!


Beautiful

By Ms. Kinnikufan

Disclaimer: I still don't own the characters after all this time.

You are always beautiful to the one you love. The one you love is always beautiful to you.

Croe wears a mask. Many people don't consider the reason why Croe wears a mask. Those that do, think it's because Kevin Mask wears a mask. They are wrong.

Croe does not like to look at his face. He would rather not have other people look at his face. His face is a reminder of how the wealthy buy justice.

One night, many years ago, a gang of toughs beat Croe. 

They weren't what one would imagine a gang of toughs to look like. They had the faces of angels, he remembers. He recognized them as students at a local, very private, very prestigious, high school. Croe had even been a consoler for one of them at summer camp.

Every time he tried to get up, they kick him in the stomach or the balls.

"Hey Aldin, you crave him." The youngest took a knife to Croe's face. Croe did not make a sound or let a tear run down his face. He refuse to give them that.

Croe tried to get back up. They kicked him down again.

"Jono, you slice him next." Jono took a knife to the delicate flesh of his chest.

A boy named Paul cut his arms. Jeffery played tic-tac-toe on one of his legs.

Before they could do even worse, a drunk came down the alley and spotted the gang. They chased after him, not wanting any witnesses. That was their mistake. Chasing after the drunk. They brought themselves out to a passing cop car.

They had better lawyers then Croe. The defense attorney mocked the extent of emotional/physically damage that had been done to Croe. Remarked that they may have felt threaten by the homosexual Croe. Finally, he questions Croe's wisdom, what kind of man's walks at night?

They got a few hours of community service.

4 years of therapy. That's what it took to even come to terms with half the damage that was done. Even more years of physical training so that he could defend himself if he ever found himself surrounded again.

Croe found it hard to interact with other people. They always stared at him, as if to remark with their eyes on how freakish they thought he looked. Always staring at him. 

They made him feel

Ugly.

Awkward.

Monstrous.

Alone.

Ugly.

Croe designed himself a costume that covered almost every inch of his body (it also gave the impression that he much paler skin then he really had.)

He designed a mask that covered everything but his eyes and let him breath.

He became a coach of chojins, where a costume such as his was tolerated and almost expected.

As a chojin coach, he could live an almost normal life.

Then he met Kevin Mask. He too wore a mask.

For him, the mask was the cause of his pain, not the other way around.

They became closer. So close that Kevin didn't feel the need to wear his mask around Croe.

Kevin as Croe discovered, had neither the great beauty nor hideously ugly face that he was rumored to have. He was what most people would call ordinary looking. He had a great amount of freckles sprinkled around his nose and cheeks.

He had an extraordinary beautiful face to Croe.

"Croe, you okay?" Kevin asked outside the bathroom door. Croe's thoughts were interrupted. Kevin entered the bathroom. Croe tried to cover his face with his arms.

Kevin gently removed Croe's arms from his face. Kevin saw Croe's face for the first time.

Kevin did not see a horribly scarred face; He saw the face of someone who loved him, someone that was there when no one else was. Someone who truly unconditionally loved him, 

Croe was alarmed at Kevin's silence. What was going through his mind had he felt that Croe had pull some sort of bait and switch on him.

An eternity stretched on.

Kevin stroked Croe's face with an unusual gentleness.

"Croeyou don't need to hide yourself from me. You never would have me hiding myself from you."

Kevin kissed of his scars. On his head. His chest. His back. Other places.

Croe tossed away his bathrobe.

They had a very lovely evening.

After notes: Well that has to be the sappiest, corniest thing I've ever have written.

In the spirit of Valentines day I would like to extend a thank you to everyone who has ever reviewed my Ultimate Muscle fics: Son, Rhandi, Green Devil, The Great NeoDragon, MexMarco (who's probably not reading this fic and if he is, has been even further traumatized), JennyRouge, Charli-Reenie, CidOtaku, Psycho Violinist of Silentwood, I.C. Moon, T-Rizzy, Vega's (Checkmate's) #1 fan, Mini maloMyotismon, and my newest reviewer, Sailacel Darkness. Thank you all for reviewing and I hope you all have a happy Valentine's Day.


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